Argentina

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Argentina was to be the country that I would spend the most time in during my 6 month trip, about 5 or so weeks all in all I think. Argentina has a mixture of cosmopolitan cities, incredible landscapes, great food and attractive ladies (and men so I'm told)
The country has had a turbulent time just about recovering now from the economic crash of 2001, even paying off it's $10 billion debt to the IMF.
Argentina stretches from Bolivia to the tip of South America (nearly 3,500km)
Attractions include Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Cordoba, Salta, The Lake District, Patagonia and of course beaches on the East coast
Argentina has had some unusual history recently, including the Peron Era in the 1940's and 50's (Evita), the Dirty War (1976-83) with an estimated 30,000 people dying (disappearing and tortured) and the Falklands War in 1982

Argentina is roughly the same size as India. (2.8 million square km)
Popular foods include Steak & Empanada's
Capital - Buenos Aires
Famous for Gauchos (Cowboys), Steak (believed to be the best and most reasonably priced in the world), Tango dancing and Football / Maradona (there is even a church of Maradona !)
Approx £1 = 5 .5 pesos
Population approx 39 million
Language spoken is Spanish and Quechua in the Andean North West

Argentina (part 1, coming in from San Pedro De Atacama in Chile)

22nd November - Up at 9am to get the bus from San Pedro de Atacama in Chile to Salta in Argentina. The first couple of hours were ok as I'm sure I was still drunk. We got to the border by midday and then had to wait 2 hours in the boiling heat to get the stamp to enter Argentina, what a nonsense ! Doron and I had a beer to try and regain some sanity / hair of the dog. Didn't really work. For the first time in a while I was feeling awful and couldn't seem to turn it round, 12 hours on a bus doesn't tend to help. Eventually arrived in Salta about 10.30pm, We found a hostel, checked in and went for a steak dinner and shared a bottle of wine. Even though we felt dreadful, you have to go for steak and red wine as soon as you arrive in Argentina, unless you're a veggie obviously !

23rd - After a good sleep, we went for a wander round Salta, seemed like a lovely place with an impressive square, felt very European. Only problem was that it was 37 Celsius which I think is over 100 Fahrenheit, the hottest it had been been for years there and the humidity was dreadful. The heat combined with the build up of travelling and drink had wiped me out. We met Toby and Leki (friends that we'd met in Peru / Bolivia) for lunch and just wandered around aimlessly. In the evening we went to Viajo Jacks that we'd been recommended for dinner. Potentially the best steak I've ever had. We ordered 2 x 600g steaks plus chips and salad and obviously a bottle of red. We had severe food coma for hours, great though ! We met Toby, Leki, the Belgium girls and the Kiwis for a drink in a bar called Barneys. A cheesy Simpsons themed bar with horrendous music, tacky décor and overpriced drinks. Thankfully a power cut ended the night about 1am in the middle of a Justin Timberlake track

24th - In the morning we went up in the cable car over for a view over Salta, called the teleferico. Nice view although still sweltering heat. The rest of the day was a right off, trying to find a swimming pool and waiting for the bus at 8.30pm that night. I was not feeling myself, combination of a lot of things I guess and not being 23 anymore. Just about caught the bus by 2 mins and fell asleep within 20 mins of setting off.

25th - Arrived in Cordoba about 9.30am having slept for most of the 13 hour bus journey. Checked into a strange hostel, felt like we were staying in someone else's house. It was chucking it down so I spend the afternoon relaxing. In the evening went for a wander, some food and a drink with Doron, An Aussie guy and a Dutch guy. Had probably the worst salad I've ever seen, should have stuck with steak, just fancied a change. Met up later with the kiwi girls and a few other people from the hostel. Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina (approx 1.3 million) after Buenos Aires. It's also known for being a party city, with 7 Universities.

26th - Found a new hostel and moved our stuff there, much better and more sociable, oh and air con in the room ! I was starting to think about heading out of Cordoba the next day and then got an email from a friend of mine back home (Alex) he asked a few people he knew in Cordoba to show us around. A guy called Lea got in touch, one of the genuinely nicest guys I've ever met. He came to the hostel just after midnight for a beer and then to take us to a club. Now Lea, seemed to be what I would call a face. He seemed to know everybody and people were queuing up to say hello to him. He knew every bar and club owner, the doormen, security, police, everyone !

27th & 28th- The next few days pretty much resulted in sleeping all day, eating late, going out to a nightclub and then after party after party after party ! We were really privileged to meet some great people and see life from a Cordoban perspective. A truly fantastic weekend.. Even managed to fall asleep just before the United Vs Portsmouth game kicked off, must have been knackered

29th - Spent most of the day recovering, had some food, few beers, not much else

30th - Decided to get the bus at 1.30pm to Mendoza, spent most of the 10 hour bus journey sleeping, arrived at a hostel and went for the standard midnight steak and wine dinner.

Mendoza was levelled by an earthquake in 1861. Afterwards the city was re built with wide avenues (for the rubble to fall into) and spacious plazas (for evacuation purposes). This makes Mendoza a joy to walk around and stunningly picturesque.

1st December - Moved to a nicer hostel with a pool. Spent most of the day enjoying the sun, pool, watched United beat Spurs in the nonsense cup with a cold Stella. Not a bad life at all

2nd - Spent the day doing a wine tour with Doron, his friend from the army Neil and Leo, a girl I'd met in La Paz. Great fun, got a taxi to the wine region then we paid 12 pesos (£2) to hire a bike for the day. Went to a chocolate and liquors factory, 2 wineries, a lovely lunch. Riding a bike after Absinth, wine & Vodka is always amusing. We even got a police escort back to the bike rental shop. At first it was a bit intimidating, then we realised it was for our safety. Its a sort of tourist protection service for injuries and potential easy targets for muggings. Got back to the hostel for 8ish, tried to go out for beers, ended up an early night un surprisingly.

3rd - Decided to get the bus to Bariloche after being told that there wasn't a bed at the hostel. Got the bus at 8pm, took 18 hours. Stunning scenery, passing through lake after lake on the way.

Bariloche is situated at the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes and mountains. It's famous for skiing, sight seeing, water sports, climbing.

4th - Arrived at lunchtime in Bariloche, lovely sunny day, wandered around town, bit touristy though. Had a beer some lunch and an ice cream (supposedly Bariloche has the the best ice cream in Argentina). Had a siesta then went out for dinner with Doron, Antonia (lovely Corsican girl from the hostel) and her friend. Had trout, a pleasant change from steak, then on to a bar for a few more drinks, nice end to a long day.

5th - The weather was a bit overcast, cooked some lunch, watched United stuff West Ham, lazy afternoon, siesta then cooked dinner (steak of course) before heading out for Saturday night. Went to a few bars and a club, typical drunken night.

6th - Picked up the hire car about 11 and set off on a road trip. Plan was to go from Bariloche in Argentina to Valdivia in Chile. I couldn't find my driving license so Doron was going to do most of the driving in Chile, which is a lot stricter for pretty much everything. It was a really nice day, the scenery was stunning, lots of views of mountains, lakes and more lakes. Guess that's why it's called the Lake District. Apart from getting lost briefly when trying to pass through Osorno, the route was was fairly simple. The roads are very quiet and well paved. We arrived about 8pm in Valdivia, found a hostel, went to the supermarket, got some food and had a bottle of wine and an early night. It was a great day, stopping for lots of photos, but tiring none the less. The hostel was very strange, kind of out of a Tim Burton film or more likely Hitchcock..

Argentina (part 2 - came in from Pucon in Chile)

12th - Went to the cable car for the view over Bariloche and the lake District with Stan, Abbey, Doron and Sam an Aussie guy. Then to Llau Llau most famous hotel in South America, approx $600 a night. Spent the afternoon sorting out the hire car, fixing the under carriage of the car that we had trashed, washing it, then afternoon beers and Empanada's. Tried to watch United, thankfully couldn't as they lost. Beers in the evening. Had the free meal that came with the 55 Pesos a night room (approx £8). Not actually that bad, (meat, veg and mash) especially if you have a nice bottle of red with it. There was quite a lot of people in the hostel, so we stayed in the bar till 1am is drinking then popped out to Dusk, the local sort of club, staggered back to the hostel about 5am via the fast food place for a couple more Empanada's !

13th - Got about 3 hours kip. The dorm room was nice except for the fact that people were getting up at about 8am and seem to mess about for over an hour, in the end I decided to get up and have the free breakfast and a shower. Doron dropped me at the bus station about 11am, he was in a worse state than me ! After a month or so travelling with him and others before I was back on my own, probably needed to have a bit of me time. I got the 12 o 'clock bus to Puerto Montt (back in Chile). The journey went smoothly, simple border crossing and arrived about 7.30pm. Finally figured out where to get the bus to the airport from, got some dinner from the supermarket and got to the airport for 9pm. The airport was a lot better than I expected, think it's just been built and still finishing it by the looks of it. I only had to wait till 11.30pm for the flight. Due to arrive in Punto Arenas in the South of Chile about 1.30am.

Argentina (part 3 came in from Puerto Natales)

18th - Left Puerto Natales in Chile at 8.30am on the bus, hit the border about 9.15am into Argentina without any problems. Arrived in El Calafate for 2.30pm after a 5 hour journey including a couple of stops after the driver had hit something / suspected puncture. Checked into a hostel, went for Empanada's for lunch, got washing done and booked a bus to El Chalten for the final bit of walking / torture. Met a lovely couple from Clapham, (Stu & Paula) who invited me to join them on a trip to see the glacier the next day as they'd hired a car. Had a drink or two, pizza and an early ish night.

El Calafate is an important tourist destination as a hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciers National Park (including Puerto Moreno Glacier which is one of the most visited in the world. Cerro Chalten and Cerro Torre)

19th - Got up at 6am to be ready for when Stu and Paula arrived to pick me up in the hire car to go the glacier. We got there for about 7.30am, before the park ranger and therefore not having to pay to get in oh and avoiding the crowds which is a bonus. The glacier was very impressive. (30km in length) Its allegedly growing 2 meters a day, it was huge. Extraordinary both in size and the noises it made when bits of the glacier broke off and crashed into the water. You could stare at it for hours if it wasn't so cold. We left there about 9am and went to a national park about 45 mins away, had a coffee then went for a 3 hour walk up and down including lunch at the top. On a clear day you can see Torres Del Paine in Chile and Fitz Roy mountain range in Argentina, it wasn't a clear day. We got back into town for about 3pm and I caught up with Doron who was in town for a bit before heading on the bus to El Chalten, arriving at about 10pm, checked into a hostel, went for a beer and an empanada and bed.

20th - Up at 10am got some bits for lunch and went for walk towards the Fitz Roy Mountain. I didn't go all the way due to my knee hurting again, I got as far as the lake which had a great view of the mountain. The weather was good in the morning, sunny and only a bit of cloud. It tends to be windy and cloud over most days especially in the afternoon. Got back about 2pm had a nap for a couple of hours and then went for a walk to the Mirador of Condors, who seemed to be sensibly staying out of the wind. Got back to the hostel for a shower and a to cook a meal. Food is expensive in places like El Chalten, the meat is still a lot cheaper than home though, it's the vegetables and everything else that's expensive, guess it has to be brought in from out of town as I'm not sure its the right climate to grow anything in Patagonia.

21st - Decided that today would be the last day of walking for a while. Got showered and dressed and looked out of the window, it was pelting it down. My knee was sore so I wasn't too upset. Spent the morning in the hostel watching it rain and ate lots of food. Got the 1pm bus back to Calafate.
Checked into the same hostel as before, this time in a smaller room, only 2 other people in it. Went to the supermarket, cooked yet another steak with onions, tomato and red wine of course. Stayed in the hostel, played on the a play station and chatted to some Portuguese lads and drank.

22nd - A relaxing day ahead. Got up in just enough time for breakfast, updated the blog and caught up on emails. Met an Aussie couple for lunch (had been in my dorm room in Cordoba and had met them again on the bus to El Calafate.) Went to all you can eat buffet. Which in Argentina is dangerous. I reckon I ate the equivalent to 3 normal meals, and the lamb was fantastic ! Very pleasant afternoon, finished off with about 3 desserts including Jelly and ice cream. Jelly seems to be very popular in South America for some reason. A group of Israeli's cooked pizza for dinner and got beers which was nice, went to the casino with them and lost 100 pesos very quickly (£15). Very funny though as the croupier was terrible, he was struggling to add up and kept getting it wrong paying people when he shouldn't and vice versa.

23rd - Flew from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, arrived at 2pm, got the bus to the Clan hostel where I was going to stay for a night. Bit of a chaotic hostel with a small basketball court in the bar area. Caught up with Peter (dutch guy who I met in Bolivia), Stan and Abbey. In the evening we met up with Esteban for a drink then we headed out to a couple of other hostels where there was a party at Mill house hostel. Esteban (Spanish for Stephen) was a friend of Lea's in Cordoba and had helped us sort out the apartment where we would be staying for the next 12 days or so. It was also Peter's birthday. Stayed out till 5ish, then back to a hostel for a night cap.

24th - Checked out of the hostel and went to sign the contracts on the apartment that we were renting for the next 12 days. It had a pool, BBQ area and was situated near Palermo which is a nice part of Buenos Aires. Then we went for a big shop for the basics and lots of booze and food for Crimbo dinner the next day.

25th - Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas !) Spent most of the day cooking and drinking and struggling with the heat. There was Stan, Abbey, Peter, Rob (from Blackburn) and myself.. It was a lovely day, everyone helped out and there was plenty of food. We started with over 2kg of beef (about £7).
Had a quiet night in eating more food and drinking red wine.

26th - Not much happened in the morning, Miles (friend from University ) arrived at lunchtime from London, so obviously had a few beers in the afternoon. Esteban came round early evening for a few drinks before we met his girlfriend down by the Plaza DE Cerano in Palermo. Had a few expensive Gin and tonics then headed back to the flat to wait for Doron who was flying in from Ushuaia. He arrived at 1pm, so we had a few more beers and crashed.

27th - Spent the morning by the pool, went to watch United Vs Hull then back to the flat for a siesta. Went to the park in the afternoon, people on roller skates, running, pedalos on the lake, very relaxing. Walked back to the flat via Palermo and some nice shops.

28th - Had brunch then went buying some new clothes, much needed especially trainers. Got back for a sleep before heading out for Miles' birthday. Went to Tiempo Del Bomba first. Its basically 17 guys on stage and hitting different drums, impressive and a great atmosphere, there were about 2,00 people there, apparently its full every week. Then went to a restaurant for dinner about 11.30pm, not sure I'd ever get used to eating that late. After went to a very hot nightclub in the middle of Palermo, plaza Cerano, which was roasting, expensive and very crowded. Got back about 5am, try to sleep in the heat and humidity of the night, I'm sure it gets hotter at night..

29th - Quiet day and night, a much needed pool day.

30th - Got a haircut, had a wander round town. Saw a memorial to the Falklands war amongst other sights in the centre of Buenos Aires

31st - Doron's Birthday and New Years Eve. Had a big barbeque on the roof terrace, then had some people round for drinks before heading to a a club called Crobar, got there for about 3am and left about 7am. It was strange celebrating New Year abroad, saying that I've done it a lot. New Year in Argentina is more of a family affair compared to back home. We weren't panicking about what we were going to do, like you would back home and ended up having a really good night and not too expensive, I think ?

1st Jan - Feliz Nuevo Ano (Happy New Year) Spent most of the day recovering.

2nd Jan - Did a bit more sight seeing,

3rd Jan - Went to San Telmo market and Recoletta for a wander, it's a sort of market like Portabello, had lunch then wandered into town to the Plaza De Mayo (the main square in downtown Buenos Aires) for some more touristy sight seeing

4th Jan - Went into town to buy ferry tickets to Uruguay and a flight to Iguazu. All went out for dinner for Stan's last night, Steak for a change. Also met Peter's Argentinian friends (Fernanda and Alicia)

5th Jan - Lazy day by the pool. Met Stu (a friend from London who went to University with Alex a friend from home) for a beer in the evening then cooked dinner and had a quiet one. The last few days in BA were fairly quite. I had enjoyed the 13 or so days in BA. It was very hot, there were 6 of us sharing an apartment, we celebrated 3 birthdays (Doron, Peter and Miles). Christmas and New Year whilst trying to see as much of BA as possible. I think as much as we had all enjoyed BA it was time to move on.

Argentina was a country that I really enjoyed. It had been built up a lot by friends that had been before and it certainly didn't disappoint. I had seen Argentina in different stages from top to nearly the bottom and feel that over the whole time have seen and done pretty much everything I had wanted to. Saying that, I wouldn't rule out popping back at some stage, like many other places mostly down to the people, weather, food and scenery and night life...

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Photos

Argentina
BA - Recoleta market

Salta
1st steak in Argentina at Viajo Jacks with Doron

Salta
by night

Salta
view from the teleferico over the City

Cordoba
in the wet

Cordoba
making the mistake of ordering salad in Argentina

Cordoba
At the hostel, meeting Lea

Cordoba
one of many nights out

Mendoza
Bikes and lots of wine

Mendoza - wine tour
starting off with a shot of Absinthe

Mendoza
more bikes and wine

Mendoza
vineyard

Mendoza
3rd Vineyard, i think !

Mendoza
police escort back

Bariloche
fun bus

Bariloche
view form the teleferico of one of the Lakes